Govt to help Port Mourant families get into honey production, other livestock farming

– 200 single mother led households to benefit from shade houses, livestock

After listening to residents, and in an effort to boost the village economy of Port Mourant, Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), the Government of Guyana will be supplying residents with training, equipment, along with the bees needed to get into honey production, and animals for livestock farming.
During a public meeting on Sunday, President Ali announced that a number of villages in Port Mourant will receive assistance from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, with a committee that will visit them and report back to the President.

The committee, which will include Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), Dr Dwight Walrond, will be tasked with consulting the residents on what their priority issues and challenges are.
According to the President, the work will commence from Tuesday and by Friday, this committee will present a report from its consultations with the residents… a report that the President assured will be acted upon.
“This group is going to work directly with me. To go into every single one of these communities and to break down the power struggle. We are not a party of lords. This is not a party that will ever support any individual or group playing lords upon other people. We are a party of service. We are a party of servants for the people.”
“From the highest to the lowest level, that is what makes us different. When I’m impatient, I’m not impatient with the people on the ground. I’m impatient with my engineers, my technicians, the contractors, my cabinet. These are the people I’m impatient with, because we want to get it done. We want to do better for you every day,” President Ali said.

The villages cited by the President include Portuguese Quarter, Free Yard, Bound Yard, Haswell, Ankerville and Clifton. According to President Ali, the PPP/C Government is intent on helping communities in Port Mourant to get into money generating initiatives such as cattle farming, chicken farms and honey production.
“We want to find 200 single mother led households. And we’re going to work with you on building out shade houses, some of you. Help some of you to develop small businesses with the black giant to produce eggs to sell on the market. Some of you, maybe if you’re in close proximity to an area where you can have grass to feed an animal.”
“We want to give you cows so you can produce milk for the local market, because cow’s milk is good milk. Some of you who want to go into swine production, we’re going to assist you with that. So, we want to establish (this), within three months. And the bees, of course. Honey production,” President Ali said.
The Head of State referenced the Port Mourant market, and assured that Government would provide them not only with training and protective gear, but also the hives so they can produce honey.
“We’re going to help you to start a honey production business, so that you can have that opportunity here. And 200 such families, we want to target in these communities. So, within three months, we can have these businesses established. So that we continue this journey of empowering people and creating opportunities and growing the economy.”
Last year, the PPP/C Government had unveiled its master plan for a $6 billion homestead programme at Yarrowkabra along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway, that will target single mothers. It had further been revealed by the President in a social media post that 500 houses would be constructed under the project, over 100 acres of land at Yarrowkabra, Soesdyke-Linden Highway. According to President Ali, this bold initiative will tackle several issues at once, including home ownership, building community wealth, and food security.
The Government had also launched a programme that would see 100 acres of land being offered to young people who have either completed studies or are currently pursuing studies at the University of Guyana (UG) and the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) to work on farmsteads and develop agri-based businesses.
President Ali’s announcements in Port Mourant come just days after he had announced a G$2 billion Government investment to provide free fertiliser to farmers across the country. Each farmer will receive one bag of fertiliser for every acre cultivated, in a bid to enhance production and ease input costs.